adult grief support programs

Bereavementis the loss by death of a loved one such as a parent, child, spouse,or close friend. Bereavement can occur at any stage of life, but is a commonoccurrence for older adults and the rate of bereavement accelerates as we age.

​Grief refers to the psychological reaction to the bereavement.

We help those who are told that “time heals all wounds”, to “just move on” and “get over it”; individuals who may be facing potential mental health barriers, and to encourage the development of strong emotional and social skills. Our program philosophy uses a strength-based approach for families and individuals to develop the skills and capacity to grieve, communicate and support others in healthy ways, and promote honest, open communication that is developmentally appropriate for everyone involved, all at no cost.

1:1 Support​We provide transitional counselling to meet individuals needs. Our staff has a combined experience of over 25 years in hospice, bereavement and education to meet the needs demanded to provide support to this specific population...... Including: - 5-year degree from University of Western Ontario (with a Sociology, and Thanatology base, with a specialty in suicide issues); - Psychotherapist, by a RSSW registered with the Ontario College Social Workers and Social Service Workers;We also receive placement student support from Fanshawe College’s Human Services Department (SSW or Child Youth Carer), King’s College Thanatology, Master of Social Work programs, and the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute periodically throughout the year.

Family sessions-can be arranged to meet the families needs, and to demonstrate how everyone grieves differently. Although they may have lost a common loved ones, relationships and personalities can steer how each person grieves. We can help with communication techniques, as well as how to support each other. This can be just one session, or several, as determined by the group, and needs.HOPE’s Urgent Response Team(HURT)- grief session(s) for families/groups/care homes, after tragic or compound death(s) is designed to provide open communication, discussion, and possible closure. We provide a safe setting with a memorial theme for individuals immediately affected by the death(s). As with the family sessions, we want to encourage each individual to recognize the each person's journey through the grief process is "normal" for them. Specialized programming and educational workshops for adults - call us for details - we are open to providing education as requested